Introduction to Finite Elements in Engineering.zip

The book presents the fundamentals of the Galerkin Finite Element Method for linear boundary value problems from an engineering perspective. Emphasis is given to the theoretical foundation of the method rooted in Functional Analysis using a language accessible to engineers. The book discusses standard procedures for applying the method to time-dependent and nonlinear problems and addresses essential aspects of applying the method to non-linear dynamics and multi-physics problems. It also provides several hand-calculation exercises as well as specific computer exercises with didactic character. About one fourth of the exercises reveals common pitfalls and sources of errors when applying the method. Carefully selected literature recommendations for further studies are provided at the end of each chapter.

Fracture mechanics has established itself as an important discipline of growing interest to those working to assess the safety, reliability and service life of engineering structures and materials. In order to calculate the loading situation at cracks and defects, nowadays numerical techniques like finite element method (FEM) have become indispensable tools for a broad range of applications.

This volume demonstrates the use of FORTRAN for numerical computing in the context of the finite element method. FORTRAN is still an important programming language for computational mechanics and all classical finite element codes are written in this language, some of them even offer an interface to link user-code to the main program. This feature is especially important for the development and investigation of new engineering structures or materials. Thus, this volume gives a simple introduction to programming of elasto-plastic material behavior, which is, for example, the prerequisite for implementing new constitutive laws into a commercial finite element program.

This textbook presents finite element methods using exclusively one-dimensional elements. The aim is to present the complex methodology in an easily understandable but mathematically correct fashion. The approach of one-dimensional elements enables the reader to focus on the understanding of the principles of basic and advanced mechanical problems. The reader easily understands the assumptions and limitations of mechanical modeling as well as the underlying physics without struggling with complex mathematics. But although the description is easy it remains scientifically correct.